Predating cocktail culture by centuries, the monastic orders of Europe were and continue to be a key link in the intersection of brewing and distillation. With resources and stability in often turbulent times dating back to the Middle Ages, monasteries were vital centers of research and advancements in the early origins of alcoholic ‘elixirs'. These isolated orders, steeped in science and religious ritual, form a lynchpin in the early search for aqua vitae and practical needs for nutrition and survival. Join Allen Katz, Director of Mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, and Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster for the Brooklyn Brewery and Editor-in-Chief of the forthcoming Oxford Companion to Beer, for in depth tasting and discussion of the history and lasting influences of the Trappists, Carthusians, Benedictines, Malthusians and other sacred orders.